To Win the War One Might Lose a Battle
by AnAverageGirl15
Summary: Felicity thought the war ended with Slade and her death. She didn't count on an even bigger foe to rise from the dead as well. Part 3 of In Love and War Series Sequel to Causalities of War


**A/N: After much demand, I've decided to add two more parts to this series. So only one more after this and then it will be complete. I'm actually really surprised and happy how this turned out and I hope that everyone else likes it! Side note: **_**Al-Adaala**_** roughly means Justice. Oh, and in the final part there will be smexy goodness abound. You are forwarned!**

**Disclaimer: Any mistakes are mine and I own nothing.**

It had been three years since Felicity had seen Starling City. Three years since she had died. Three years since she had been resurrected. Three long years since she had seen her team. Seen Oliver. Now that she was standing at the precipice of being able to go home, she wondered if she should. So much had changed in those three years. Felicity wasn't the same person anymore.

She still remembers sitting in Lazarus Pit, looking at Nyssa as she said, "Hello Felicity. I am Nyssa. Daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Sara sent you to me." That's when she remembered everything. The explosion, knowing she was going to die, the feel of the ceiling crushing her slowly as she bled out, and Oliver. Oliver begging her to stay with him and her heart breaking because she couldn't. "I died. How is this possible?"

Nyssa helped her out of the water, giving her a cotton shirt to slip over her naked body, as she said, "Long ago my father found this place while looking for a cure to help a sultan's dying son. The water holds the power to cure any ailment." Brushing back Felicity's hair she spoke softly, "It is even rumored to resurrect the dead."

Felicity took a step back as she shook her head. "So I did die." Her brow furrowed as she looked at Nyssa and said, "But why did you help me? Why did you bring me here?"

Nyssa smiled sadly as she handed her pants and shoes as she told her, "Because Sara asked me to."

Felicity knew that couldn't be the only reason. "What else did she say?"

Nyssa ignored her question as she started to guide her out of the cave. "Come. Now we must make you strong again. And then we will start your training."

Felicity followed her out, the sun blinding her for a moment as she asked, "What training?" When her eyes adjusted she saw the most beautiful place in the world. In the distance she could see men and women training while others meditated.

Nyssa turned to Felicity and said, "Welcome to Nanda Parbat, home to the League of Assassins. Your new home." Felicity was about to ask her again about the training, however Nyssa turned and motioned for her to follow. They slowly made their way down the mountain's side, Felicity taking in everything around her.

She rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to keep warm as she asked again, "What are you training me for? Why can't I go home?"

Nyssa looked back at Felicity briefly before she said, "There's a war starting, we must prepare you for battle."

Felicity hurried to walk in stride with Nyssa. "War. What war? And why do I have to fight in it?"

"Because you are already part of it."

Felicity followed her, wrapping her arms around her tighter as she asked, "How am I part of it already? Slade Wilson. He's dead. I…I killed him. The war, it's over."

Nyssa pushed through double doors leading into an open area of the building. Turning to face her as she stopped in the middle of the room, she said, "Compared to this man, Slade Wilson is nobody."

Felicity looked at her, confusion clearly seen on her face as she asked Nyssa's retreating form, "Who is he?"

She jumped back as a man stepped from the shadows. He towered over her as he drew closer, looking her up and down, as if he was reading her soul. When he spoke, Felicity wrapped her arms around herself tighter, wishing she was back home. "I was told you died for your war. Sacrificed yourself to end it. Is that, right?"

Felicity tried to follow the man as he circled her with her eyes, trying to keep eye contact. "Y-Yes. It was the only way for no one else to die."

"Do you regret it? Do you feel sorry for his death? That you _killed_ him?"

Felicity felt tears prick her eyes. Not because of his death. Slade had no soul left. There was no hope for him anymore. She had seen it. She would have had to watch him take everything away from her if she hadn't acted. No, she wasn't about to crying because of his death. She wanted to cry because, "No, I don't regret killing him."

"And how does that make you feel? Sad? Angry? Powerful, perhaps?"

Shaking her head, she felt one tear fall down her cheek. "Guilty."

He stood in front of her as he asked, "Why do you feel that way?"

Because she should feel bad she took a life, even if he was a terrible person. Because she never wanted to harm anyone, kill anyone before. "Because I was happy when he died."

"And how does that guilt make you feel?"

Felicity clenched her fists. She didn't want to feel guilty. She did the right thing. It was the right choice. She shouldn't feel guilty. He deserved to die. "Angry." She was angry that there were people out there only wanting to hurt others. Angry that no matter how hard they tried, there was always someone else to stop. Angry that she couldn't do anything to stop it that wasn't behind her computers. Angry that even in her death Slade still caused so much pain. Angry because Slade tried to take everything away from her and the only way she knew how to stop him was by her own death.

"Angry at what?"

Felicity looked the man straight in his eyes as her blue eyes burned with rage she never knew she would have. "At injustice."

The man slowly smiled at her before saying, "Your anger gives you great power. Let us teach you how to harness it so you can bring justice. Help us stop the next war coming. Help us stop Malcolm Merlyn."

Felicity shook her head at his words, "Malcolm Merlyn is dead."

He started to walk away as Nyssa appeared again, "Is he?"

The air left her lungs at his words. If he was still alive, that meant… "Oliver." He would go after Oliver. He would try to get to Thea, his only remaining child. And he would destroy anyone in his way. Looking at Nyssa, Felicity knew what she needed to do. "When do we start?"

She trained for two years before Nyssa said she was ready. She trained for one more year with Ra's as they waited for Malcolm to show himself. She had yet to leave her new home. Although every night she would look at the stars and wish she was back in Starling. She wondered about Oliver and Diggle, Sara and Roy. Her team and family. Wondered how they had coped with her death. Wondered if Nyssa ever told Sara that Lazarus Put had worked. Wondered if she would ever be able to go back home again.

As each day passed by, she trained harder and grew faster, better. She had one goal. Stop Malcolm Merlyn, at any cost. Ra's al Ghul had even promised her that if she was the one to stop Merlyn he would set her free from the League. He had given her even more reason to fight for it. He gave her the hope of going back home. As Felicity looked up at the stars, she couldn't help but wonder at what cost though.

Nyssa entered her room then and Felicity knew. The time had come. "Ra's summons you."

Standing, Felicity followed her out to the open training area where Ra's was standing. When she had first met him, she hadn't knows he was Ra's. That he was the man to help her see the anger within her and that she could use it to her advantage. He smiled at her, extending his hands for her to take. "My child, Al-Adaala, it is time. Merlyn has shown himself and now you must finish what should have been done years ago. Are you ready?"

She looked up at him with unwavering eyes. "Yes."

"Then I believe this is goodbye, my daughter. You have grown greatly since you came to us. Be proud of who you are." Leaning down he kissed her cheek as he said, "You will be missed." Taking a step back he started to speak for everyone to hear, "As long as you bring justice upon Malcolm Merlyn, Al-Adaala, I, Ra's al Ghul, release…"

"Wait!" Ra's stopped at her words, not finishing what he promised he would give her. "I know you promised that I could leave once Merlyn was dead and I thought that's what I wanted. But…" Felicity looked at Nyssa and asked, "What did Sara, Attiyara Al-Asfer, promise you?"

"That if Lazarus Pit worked, if you were restored back to life, she would come back to us. To me."

Felicity stated, "And yet, you haven't told her yet."

Nyssa shook her head, "No. She will find out shortly though."

Felicity nodded once at what she already knew. Looking back at Ra's, Felicity said, "I want Sara to be released forever. She only sacrificed her freedom so I could live. So I'm sacrificing my freedom, so she can stay with her family. That is my new condition. Once I kill Merlyn, I will come back here. But Sara, she stays in Starling." Looking back to Nyssa, Felicity told her softly, "I'm sorry Nyssa, I can't let her leave her family again. Not when they just got her back."

Ra's clasped his hands on her shoulders as he asked, "You are sure of this, Al-Adaala?"

Clenching her, Felicity nodded her head. "Yes, I am sure. They have already mourned me, I'm better off not returning to them." Even as she said it, though, she knew it wasn't true. She knew, in her heart, that if Oliver ever found out she was still alive he would never stop looking for her. The same went for the rest of her team. This only meant that she needed to make sure none of them saw her when she returned to Starling.

Squeezing her shoulders, he told her, "Then it will be done."

* * *

Felicity forgot how much she hated flying. All the uncertainty of being tens of thousands of feet in the air and the only thing protecting her was what could kill her. But as the plane touched down in Starling, she couldn't help but feel that she never wanted to get off of it. Taking in a deep breath, she stood up and grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment, looking across the aisle and down a few rows at Nyssa. She along with a few fellow assassins were with her for this fight.

Nodding once, Felicity started moving down the aisle to get to customs. She handed over her passport as the woman behind the desk asked her, "Are you here for business or pleasure?"

Cutting her eyes to Nyssa, Felicity told her coolly, "Pleasure."

She handed back her passport as she told Felicity. "Have a nice stay in Starling City, Miss Smoak."

Taking back her papers, Felicity hurried out of the airport and hailed a cab. She didn't want to have to stay here longer than she needed. She told him to stop at the nearest electronics store, buying a tablet quickly, before she told him the hotel she was staying at. Felicity was fortunate to have the luxury of being able to stay in a hotel since she was not yet wanted in other countries like her fellow assassins. She quickly turned on the tablet once she closed her hotel room door, setting off to work.

She frowned slightly at how easy it was to hack into her old system, seeing that no one had kept it up to standards like she had. Which meant she could easily see how their progress was going on tracking Merlyn down. Felicity also looked up any news of the Queen family and of Team Arrow since she had been gone. She told herself it was to see what she was up against, but she knew that the three years of not seeing them or hearing about them had weighed down on her. She just wanted to make sure they were okay. When a video came up of Oliver leaving QC, she couldn't help but let her fingers gently run against the screen as the newscaster stated, "The assassination of Mayor Moira Queen is still under investigation. Her son, Oliver Queen, sent out a statement early today saying that the SCPD are putting all their efforts into finding the murderer and that whoever it was would be brought to justice."

Felicity gasped softly at that, tears burning in the back of her eyes, angry that she was too late. The war had already started. Her eyes slid shut as she tried to center herself. When they opened again, her eyes burned with anger instead. Anger that Merlyn thought that killing Thea's mother was the only way to get to his daughter. Anger that he would most likely kill Oliver and the rest of his team to get to Thea, as well. Looking back down at her screen, she quickly got to work so she could find Merlyn before anyone else died.

Unfortunately all her hard work and searching was for nothing because Merlyn is the one that found Oliver. She was still working on her tablet when the alarm went off, warning her someone had broken into the Foundry. Looking at her clock she knew that the team was already down there, planning there next attack.

Quickly grabbing her things, Felicity ran out her door to get to the Foundry as quickly as she could, calling Nyssa to let her know where Merlyn was. By the time they got there, the fight had moved out to the abandoned warehouse behind Verdant. She could hear the grunts of pain and arrows flying, bullets being fired and Sara's bow staff being used. Felicity looked at Nyssa before she pulled up her black hood and covered the lower half of her face with a cloth. Then they were moving. All five assassins moved together, silently climbing on top of the rafters as they watched Malcolm kick Oliver in the ribs. When she saw him grab an arrow to kill Oliver, Felicity just reacted. Like she was taught, she skillfully dropped down from the rafters with the long piece of cloth, dropping in front of Merlyn's arrow. Talking in a cold voice, Felicity told him, "Ra's al Ghul sends his regards."

She then grabbed her sword, slicing through the arrow as Malcolm retreated back and the four other assassins jumped down to the ground. They attacked at once, Felicity wielding her sword like she held it all her life. She felt satisfaction when she sliced at Malcolm's back, seeing his blood on her blade. _That is for killing Oliver's father._

Felicity watched as he shot two arrows into two of her comrades, killing them instantly. Her anger boiled hotter, focusing her as she sliced at the back of his knee. _That is for Tommy._ She watched as he through an arrow into another assassin, his body falling to the ground lifeless. Drawing her sword up she sliced down on his wrist, cutting off his hand. _That is for the 503 lives and families you destroyed._ Malcolm screamed in pain as his hand and bow fell to the ground. Dropping her sword, Felicity grabbed her two daggers and stepped behind the kneeling Merlyn.

With her daggers pressed against Malcolm's neck Felicity told him, "Malcolm Merlyn, in the name of Ra's al Ghul, I release you." She then sliced his throat open, letting his body fall to the ground. _And that is for condemning Oliver to Lian Yu._

She stepped back from her body and looked up to see Diggle, Sara, and Oliver staring at her, all having a form of shock written across their faces. Sara was the first one to recover as she stepped forward. "It worked. You're alive."

Felicity stepped over the body and looked at Sara and lowered the cloth covering her face as she said, "I, Al-Adaala, in the name of Ra's al Ghul, release you Sara, Attiyara Al-Asfer. You are forever free of the League."

Shaking her head, Sara took another step forward. "No. That's not what I agreed with." Looking back at Nyssa she told her, "You said if she lived and I came with you, she could stay here. You promised me."

Felicity told her, "Your home is here now Sara. The war is over. Thea is safe. You guys are safe. This was my choice. Your freedom, for mine."

Sara shouted, "No!"

Felicity felt tears prick at her eyes when Diggle addressed her, "This is your home too, Felicity."

Shaking her own head, she let a tear fall down. She looked at him and said, "Not anymore. I'm sorry." She looked at Oliver then and wished she hadn't. His mouth hung open slightly as tears filled his eyes, looking at her like she was part of a dream. She told him, "Don't try to find me. Don't look for me, Oliver. I don't want to be found." She started to move back, still looking at them as she said what she never could before. "Goodbye."

It was as if those words snapped Oliver out of his daze. He started to move forward as she and Nyssa ran to the back entrance. He yelled out at her, "I'm not losing you again, Felicity! I will never stop looking for you." As his words echoed through the empty space, Felicity knew deep down that he was telling the truth. And she feared that when he did find her, it would be at a great cost. Wiping away her tears, Felicity told herself that she just had to make sure he never found her.


End file.
